As drovers crack whips and whistle, as cattle softly bellow and horses whinny, the mob settles into a rhythm. Cattle, horses, drovers and dogs are rustling through long dry grass under clear skies. After a good season, water and feed is plentiful - perfect for droving cattle.
The Eidsvold Cattle Drive, a biennial event, was initiated by the local community in 2015 in a bid to lift spirits after years of drought and floods.
Eidsvold grazier and cattle drive committee member, Viv Hutchinson, said the idea was to rekindle the history of Martin Snelling, who in 1926, drove a mob of 7000 cattle to the saleyards and sold them in five-and-a-half hours - still an Australian record.
"We all got together at town meetings to come up with some event ideas and have managed to create something special," Viv said.
"The first two events ran in 2016 and 2018, then COVID stopped us in our tracks for 2020. This year we braved the red tape to continue."
From 3 to 9 April, 25 eager participants, joined seven local drovers and a large volunteer crew to drive more than 450 head of cattle across a 70km portion of an historic stock route west of Eidsvold.
Starting at Glencoe Station, the drive ended at the Eidsvold showgrounds with a celebratory day of entertainment including droving demonstrations, bull riding and food and local retail stalls.
Committee chairman and drover on the ride, Bruce Tye said the participants gained a firsthand, once-in-a-lifetime experience of bush droving.
"It's slow steady work, which is good for both animals and humans," Bruce said.
"Without phones, there's time to look about, observe and slow the heart rate. And with local landholders involved, they see how cattlemen and their families work together through the generations."
FLASHBACK: Eidsvold to revisit history
Leading the mob were two unstoppable boss drovers Ned Neumann, who turns 90 this year and Ron Bligh, 80. With decades of droving experience, the two were on hand from dawn to dusk.
Their stamina, humour, skills and storytelling were an inspiration to everyone who had the privilege of riding alongside them.
With an incredible amount of work needed to make sure everything ran smoothly, a dedicated crew covered everything from safety and comfort, a locally designed and built mobile amenity unit to scrumptious camp oven food, entertainment and help with moving the camp daily.
Participant and endurance rider Sue Sutcliffe of Coalstoun Lakes said this was her first cattle drive.
"It's helping prepare my horse for the national Tom Quilty Gold Cup ride," Sue said.
"Every day in the saddle is slow and steady rather than our usual pounding along - which is great training for my horse. I'm enjoying meeting the locals and likeminded horse riders. It's an incredible experience and exceptionally well organised with great food, cold drinks and even hay for the horses."
After moving through four cattle stations, each hosting the drovers overnight, the final night was at the heritage listed Eidsvold Station, 10km west of Eidsvold. More than 200 people came in to join the drovers for dinner under the stars and to celebrate a job well done.
Funds raised will benefit the Royal Flying Doctor Service, LifeFlight and the Burnett Lodge.
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